


Drop Everything and Dance

by literalsunshin



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Ballet, Breakdance, F/M, Fluff, I don't know all that much about ballet but boi am i trying, Miraculous Moves, dance au, give adrien friends 2k17, honestly the fact that i love ballet and tchaikovsky so much is the only reason i can write this, i just really fucking love ballerinas, this au was made for me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-09-22 00:56:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 11,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9574748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literalsunshin/pseuds/literalsunshin
Summary: Marinette Dupain-Cheng has finally been accepted to the prestigious Agreste Academy of Fine Arts. Being in a class full of other talented dancers is a dream come true! But will her dancing suffer because of her alter-ego, Ladybug, and her underground dancing? With the help of a few new dance partners, maybe Marinette can actually pull this off.





	1. Operation: First Day(s)

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a really late miraculous moves au fic (Inspired by @starrycove's dance au) that I've been working on for months cause I wanted to have a few good chapters done before I started posting it. Little did I know School is a binch. I'll try to post regularly but if thers a big gap between chapters I've probably caught up to myself and have to post them as I write them.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette goes to school and Adrien Goes to the club. Priorities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go! Chapter 1!!! It took me so long to finish this pathetically short chapter but i'm proud of it and i hope y'all enjoy!!

**Marinette**

Marinette couldn't believe it. She read and reread the letter a million times. It was unreal. She let out a squeal of excitement and her parents came rushing in.

"What's wrong?" he father asked.

"Nothing, absolutely nothing. I got in!" Marinette shouted.

"You got in!?" her mother yelled.

They all jumped and danced around the room before finally calming down enough to make plans. After all, Marinette would be leaving soon to attend The Agreste Academy of Fine Arts dance division.

***

"101, 102, 103..." Marinette read the room numbers aloud, looking for hers. Her parents had dropped her off and stayed for orientation, but they had to go back to the bakery. So Marinette was left to find her room on her own. With her suitcase trailing behind her she excitedly rushed down the hall along with countless other students.

Room 107, here we go. Marinette thought to herself.

She walked in and set her bag down. It looked like her roommate had already been there. There were wires, clothes, papers, and shoes tossed everywhere. She even saw a typewriter in a corner.

"Sorry about the mess." said a voice from the adjoining bathroom, "I was looking for my cellphone before i realized that it was in my back pocket the whole time. I'll clean it up in a second."

Marinette looked into the open door and saw a girl with auburn hair and glasses painting her toenails on the edge of the tub.

"My name's Alya." the girl said.

"I'm Marinette. Nice to meet you."

"Again, I'm sorry about the mess, I thought I'd have more time to finish cleaning up." Alya said.

"No, it's alright. I mean, you clean it whenever you want. If you want to, that is. I can't make you." Marinette blabbered on.

"So what division are you in?" Alya asked.

"Oh, I'm in ballet."

"Nice, I'm in the writing division. Journalism to be specific."

"Is that why you have a typewriter?" Marinette asked with a giggle.

"Yeah, my mom got me that for my last birthday. She said it might inspire me when I need it. I just think it looks cool." Alya explained.

"So is this your first year at this school?" Marinette asked.

"Yeah, you?" Alya replied.

"Yep."

"Cool it looks like we'll be getting the hang of things together."

There was a chime over the PA system.

"All dance division students, please report to the studio for a meeting with Madame Tikki." the voice said.

"I guess I have to go. It was nice meeting you." Marinette said.

"Nice to meet you too, and I promise that the mess will be gone when you get back."

Marrinette walked down the hall, following the current of students on their way to the dance studio. They all seemed to know where they were going so Marinette was content to follow the crowd. When they arrived at the studio, she was awestruck. It was beautiful. The floor to ceiling mirrors were absolutely spotless and the hardwood floor reflected almost as much as the mirrors. All of the ballet bars looked brand new.

While Marinette was standing there admiring the room, the other students pushed past her and stood in line to wait for the teacher.

The teacher was a small woman with red hair. She looked at each student as they lined up in front of her, smiling as she did so.

"Welcome to Agreste Academy. I'm Madame Tikki. You all are the best France has to offer so there will be no hand-holding in this class. Most of you are returning student's so I expect you all to exceed my expectations. Those of you who have transferred into this program will have some catching up to do but I don't doubt that you will all do very well here." she seemed to have said the last part directly to Marinette.

"You are all very capable and I look forward to seeing you all at work." Madame Tikki said, "You are dismissed. Please get enough rest tonight so that you will be ready to start your newest adventure tomorrow!"

As the students started to disperse and head for the door Marinette hung behind to wait for the crowd to clear. When she looked around a blond head caught her eye. She turned and saw a boy standing in the corner by himself. His eyes were on his phone so he was completely oblivious to all of the eyes on him. It seemed that every girl in the room was infatuated with him.

"Adrien got taller over the summer." One girl said from behind Marinette.

"He's still so handsome." said another.

"I wonder if he'll get the lead in the fall production." someone else chimed in.

"He's Adrien Agreste! Of course He'll get it." her friend replied.

Adrien Agreste? Marinette thought. As in, Agreste Academy of the Arts? Is he only here because of his father? She pushed the thought away. The doorway cleared up and Marinette made her way to her dorm.

She returned to find the room in impeccable shape.

"I told you I'd clean it up." Alya said smugly from her seat at her desk.

"I never doubted you for a second." Marinette replied as she opened her suitcase and started unpacking.

"So how was the meeting?"Alya asked.

"It was good. I think Madame Tikki likes me," Marinette started, "and, what do you know about Adrien Agreste?"

"Are you another one of his admirers?" Alya asked with a teasing smile.

"No! Of course not! I was j-j-just curious is all!" Marinette stammered.

"I'm just kidding! Calm down." Alya laughed, "Yeah, I know Adrien, a friend of mine who goes here is his bestie. He says Adrien is a cool guy. Really nice and totally oblivious to the fact that every girl in this school wants to be with him, not just the ballerinas."

"So is he really stuck up about it? His father owns the school, he has hundreds of admirers, he's handsome." Marinette listed.

"You think he's handsome?" Alya said with a cocked brow.

"W-w-w-what? NO, I mean obviously he is or he wouldn't be a dancer, or I mean his facial structure is perfect for- i mean-" Marinette stuttered.

"It's okay. I'll give the boy that, he's cute. But he's not really my type." Alya said nonchalantly.

"He just seemed kind of alone today at the meeting." Marinette said as she hung her dresses in the closet.

"Oh my Gosh, girl. Those dresses are to die for!" Alya exclaimed, changing the subject.

"Oh, thank you," Marinette blushed, "I made them last year."

"Shut up! Your made these?" Alya said, walking towards the closet and picking up one of the dresses.

"Yeah, I figured if this dance career doesn't work out, I could always become a designer, or I could do both or something. I don't know, it's something I've always enjoyed."

"You definitely have a gift. You might give Gabriel Agreste himself a run for his money." Alya encouraged as she cradled a dress in her arms.

"Thank you." Marinette said, her face as red as the dress Alya was holding.

"What's this?" Alya said, pulling a bag from Marinette's suitcase and opening it. She pulled out a red polka-dot crop-top, baggy pants and a tub of red paint. "Wait a minute, I've seen this before."

"Oh, Um... That's nothing, just another line of clothes I'm working on. It's not finished so you can just ignore it." Marinette said grabbing the things and shoving them back into the drawstring bag.

"Ladybug?"

***

The next day the girls both got up early to get ready for their first day of class. As they were getting dressed Alya kept asking questions about the conversation they'd had the night before.

"So you're Ladybug? The Ladybug. The Ladybug that absolutely slays at Club Kwami Every Friday night. The Ladybug that I've literally dedicated a whole page of my blog to." Alya said as she combed her hair.

"Yes. Now hush. Academy Students aren't supposed to go to that club. Ever. I could get expelled for this." Marinette explained.

"Then why do you do it?" Alya asked.

"I didn't know I'd be accepted to this school until two months ago. Besides I wear a mask at the club so as long as nobody else here recognizes me, I should be fine. You aren't going to tell are you?"

"Relax, Girl. I guess, since I know your dirty little secret I can tell you mine. I'm LadyWifi. I run the club website." Alya admitted.

"Really? How many Academy students go to Club Kwami?" Marinette asked.

"My sources tell me a lot. I think at least half of the kids here don the paint masks on Friday nights." Alya said.

"Do you think any of them will recognize me?"Marinette asked

"Don't worry, if I didn't recognize you I don't think anyone will." Alya said.

***

On her way to class Marinette scanned all of the faces she passed, wondering if she'd seen any of them before under flashing lights and moving bodies. It was amazing how different everyone looked under normal lighting and ballet buns.

She walked into the dance studio and set her bag in one of the cubbies that lined the walls. She had just started to warm up when Adrien walked into the room. He put his things away and started stretching a few feet from Marinette. Other students trickled in but Marinette's curiosity kept her attention on Adrien. He looked at no one as he stretched and his was the only voice not heard as the room started to fill up with conversation. After a moment he looked up and caught Marinette staring at him. She blushed red before quickly turning her head in any other direction. She spent the rest of the class focusing on her dancing and avoiding Adrien's gaze.

After class Marinette was the last one to gather her things and she and Adrien were alone in the studio.

"Marinette? Right?" Adrien asked.

"Y-yes." Marinette replied.

"I'm Adrien. I just wanted to tell you you did great today. You were one of the transfers?"

Marinette nodded.

"You could've fooled me. You're really good." he said before hiking his bag up on his shoulder and walking away.

Marinette was left speechless in the empty studio.

***

**Adrien**

"Nino, are you sure?" Adrien asked for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Dude, you can't just sit in your room twiddling your thumbs every Friday night. You're coming to Club Kwami with me tonight."

It'd been a week since the new semester had started. Nino had spent every moment of that time trying to get Adrien to live a little. He'd succeeded.

"But what if we get caught?" Adrien worried.

"I went every week last year. They made me a DJ. I'm still here." Nino assured.

"But my father--"

"Chill. Did you find something to wear tonight?" Nino asked.

"Yes, but I'm still not sure."

"Just trust me."

***

"Dude, where's your mask?" Nino asked when he met Adrien in the Lobby of the Boy's dorm.

"You didn't tell me I needed a mask." Adrien explained.

"Whatever, I got a buddy that can help you with that then when we get there. What's with the cat ears?"

"I dunno. I like cats." Adiren shrugged.

"Okay let's go before an RA shows up."

The two boys walked through the streets until they came to what looked like an old record store. They ignored the closed sign and walked right in.

"Names?" asked the man at the counter.

"Hey Plagg. DJBubbler and a new member." Nino responded.

"What do ya call yourself kid?" Plagg asked Adrien.

"Um.... Chat Noir." Adrien said.

"Alright you two, have fun. See if you can't get Chat Noir a mask." Plagg said as he pressed a button and an elevator opened behind him.

The elevator took the boys down to a dimly lit, mostly empty room.

"I thought you said this club was always, and I quote, 'lit'" Adrien said.

"We're not technically open yet. Besides the DJ just got here." Nino smiled, pointing both thumbs at himself, "Okay the Evillustrator has his stuff set up in that booth over there. Hurry up before he sets out to tag the place."

"Alright, thanks for bringing me, Nino. I needed this." Adrien said sincerely.

"Don't get sappy on me dude. I gotta set up my tunes, I'll see you out there."

"Alright, see ya."

Adrien walked over to a boy with flaming red hair and a black and purple paint-mask smeared on his face. He was lining up different cans of spray paint.

"Hey, I'm Ad- Chat Noir. Bubbler told me I could see you about a mask before everyone else shows up." Adrien said.

"Yeah man. No problem. Have a seat." Evillustrator said, "You want a black or green mask?"

"Uh.. black I guess."

"Alright then. This your first time here?" he asked as he brushed paint on Adrien's face with what Adrien assumed was face paint.

"Yeah, I didn't even know this place existed before last week." Adrien admitted.

"Boy are you in for a treat." Evillustrator replied.

An hour later the club was absolutely full. There were bodies moving everywhere and music so loud Adrien could hardly hear himself think. It was awesome. Chat Noir was a hit. He weaved through the bodies like it was his job as he tried to find a dance that would work in this environment. All of his classical training had not prepared him for this night. And he couldn't have been more grateful. For once in his life everything wasn't totally planned out and perfect. He was totally out of his element and he was enjoying every minute of it.

"Alright Club Kwami! How are you doing tonight?" Nino, er, DJBubbler said through the speakers. The crowd cheered as the music pulsed through the building. "Alright alright. Please welcome Ladybug back to the floor!" he announced.

The crowd formed a huge circle around a girl with a red mask and black pigtails. She moved to the music in a perfectly imperfect way. Adrien could see that she was a very skilled dancer but there was something else about her. When she danced she wasn't thinking about the way she looked or how exactly she wanted her limbs to move, she just did. She was everything Adrien hoped he could be and so much more. The crowd cheered her on and she smiled at them. Soon Adrien found himself cheering for her too as she spun and jumped and flipped around on the dance floor.

When she'd finished her performance and the crowd thickened on the dance floor once again, Adrien tracked Ladybug down to her table. She and another girl were chatting as Ladybug dabbed at her sweat with a napkin.

"Hey Bugaboo." Adrien purred as he approached her.

"Hey new guy. I haven't seen you around here before." Ladybug greeted.

"First night. Is it obvious?" he asked.

"Nah, I saw you doing your thing out there earlier. You were doing fine, Kitty Cat."she said.

"I'll be right back, girl. I'm gonna grab a drink." the other girl said with a wink.

"Later, LadyWifi." Ladybug said."

"I'm Chat Noir." Adrien introduced himself after LadyWifi left.

"Ladybug." she said holding out her hand for a shake.

"I really liked your moves." Adrien said as he took a seat.

"Thanks. I liked yours." she replied.

"I am pretty great, aren't I?" Adrien joked.

"Easy, Kitty. Don't get a big head." Ladybug laughed.

"Everyone here seems to really like you. You come here a lot?" he asked.

"Yeah, it's a great place full of great people. I don't know what I'd do with my weekends if this place didn't exist." she said.

They talked for what felt like hours to Adrien before people started trickling out.

"Okay, I'm sorry to say that that was our last song guys. Club Kwami is closed for the night. Looking forward to seeing you next week." Bubbler said over the mic.

"I guess I'll see you next week?" Adrien asked.

"Definitely." Ladybug nodded.

"Do I get to know who you are behind the mask?"

"Slow down, Kitty. You know the rules. No reveals on Club property. Besides, I just met you. I don't think we should be telling each other our secret IDs just yet." she said.

"Alright, My Lady. I'll see you in a week then." Adrien waved as Ladybug walked towards LadyWifi at the door.

"Yo, I saw you talking to Ladybug all night. First night here and you already scored big time." Nino said as he walked up behind Adrien.

"I don't know who she is under the paint, but I don't care. I think I'm in love, dude." Adrien said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good start? I hope so. I obvi took some stuff from the origins episode (cause I wrote this chapter the day after it premiered. I've been working on this for a while.) I hope you enjoyed!! (Edit: i forgot to mention that i'll be updating every sunday if i can. keep a lookout!)


	2. Operation: make more friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien wants to make Marinette his friend. Just friends. Yep. That's it.  
> Also, Ladybug wants to make Chat Noir her dance partner. Just dance partners. Yep. That's it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2!! expect a lot of Adrien in this one. That's just what came out. Also, this chapter is early because of technical difficulties. It's a lot to explain

**Marinette**

"Alright class, I hope you all had a relaxing weekend because i'm going to work you to the ground." Madame Tikki said with a kind smile.

Marinette was perplexed by her new teacher. The small woman was the kindest she'd ever met, but the general aura that Madame gave off seemed to be a warning to all not to cross her. Nevertheless, Marinette set her face in determination. She refused to fall behind the other dancers just because she'd started a year after they did. She had to keep reminding herself that she got in despite not having as much training as them.

"Marinette, do you wanna dance with me" Adrien asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Who-What?" She blurted.

"Madame Tikki told us to pair off and start working on the choreography she taught us last week..." he explained.

Marinette was stunned into silence. Adrien had barely said a word to her since the first day and she had gotten quite used to admiring him from afar. Now that he was speaking to her, now that she was exchanging words with Adrien. Agreste. she didn't know what to do. Marinette.exe was not responding.

"So... did you want to be my partner or..."

"YES!" Marinette exploded, "I mean, yeah. That'd be cool. If you want to. But you wouldn't be asking if you didn't want to. Unless nobody else wanted to be your partner, which is so unlikely because who wouldn't wanna be your partner?" she prattled on.

"Cool. Alright so I guess we'll take it from the top." Adrien smiled.

**Adrien**

The rest of the class was spent with Adrien perfectly executing the techniques and Marinette nervously following his lead and shaking like a leaf. He knew Marinette was a good dancer, he'd seen her passionately do the numbers in the mirror when she thought he wasn't looking, but now that he was there she was acting very nervous and distant. He couldn't help but wonder if it was because he'd done something wrong. He wanted to be her friend but he didn't think that she wanted to be his.

Adrien had been sheltered his whole life and he only had one real friend so far. He'd hoped that his trip to Club Kwami would help him make friends, but he couldn't be the same guy that he was under the mask when he was just Adrien. Being Chat Noir unlocked something inside of him, something that immediately retreated as soon as he washed off the paint and put the ears away. He wished that he could summon that person again to try to win Marinette over.

The two continued their work in awkward silence as Adrien twirled, led, and lifted a very stiff Marinette.

"So, Marinette, how are you liking the Academy so far?" Adrien asked after a long moment.

"I-it's fine. I think I'm keeping up with the others and my roommate is my best friend now." Marinette managed to say clearly.

"That's good. You're a great dancer, by the way. You might even have a shot at the lead in the Autumn Show." Adrien said.

"Autumn Show?" Marinette asked just as Madame Tikki clapped her hands together and called the attention of the class.

"Alright, I see that we're making miles of progress. I would like to congratulate all of our transfer students for showing exemplary work and exceeding my expectations!" she said, again looking pointedly at Marinette. "Now, before our lunch break, I would like to announce the Title of our Autmn show! I, after long hours of deliberation with the other teachers and Mr. Gabriel Agreste himself, have decided that we will be performing Sleeping Beauty!" the class erupted into cheers as she beamed at them.

"That's my absolute favorite show!" a perky blonde, whom Adrien identified as Rose, said, "It's so romantic!"

"It's pretty cool, I guess," said her glum friend, Juleka.

Adrien was just as excited as his classmates. Tchaikovsky's ballets are the most well known for a reason, and Adrien knew that the music students would make for a wonderful orchestra and that the Visual Arts students would provide a magnificent set. He knew that this show would be one that the whole school would enjoy.

"Who do you think is gonna dance the lead?" Mylene asked from the back of the room.

Suddenly the whole class erupted into chatter about who would dance what part and Adrien was left totally red-faced as his name appeared multiple times in reference to the role of Prince Desiré. Adrien was always a bit anxious to dance the leads in the school's productions because he didn't want people to think he took advantage of the fact that his father ran the school, but whenever he danced he just couldn't hold back, he gave it all he had and most times he got the lead. **He**  knew that Madame Tikki would never reward him unless he deserved it, but others weren't so sure.

"Obviously Adrien is dancing the lead. With his father, why is there even a doubt?" Kim's voice boomed. Several voices muttered in agreement as Adrien wished he could melt into the floor.

"Or maybe he's got actual talent and doesn't have to rely on rude comments to make people see that." Marinette retorted.

Adrien blinked at her. The usually silent girl had risen from her seated position to look directly at Kim with her hands crossed in front of her. Kim stared back dumbfounded, obviously at a loss for words as the new girl stared him down. Neither of them moved their gaze until the bell rang for lunch and Kim got up slowly and left the room with Marinette's eyes following him the whole way. 

"Thank you." Adrien said, making her jump. 

"It's n-not a problem!" she said, reverting farther back into her shell the longer Adrien stood next to her, "Kim shouldnt have said that. You're really good and if you get the part, I know it'll be because you earned it."

Marinette's gaze finally moved to Adrien's eyes. He was lost in how blue they were, and how kindly she looked at him. The only time he could remember anyone looking at him that way was when he would perform little recitals for his mother as a child. 

The two stood there in silence for a moment, Adrien staring directly at her while Marinette tried to come up with something, anything, to say.

"Well," Madame Tikki said, breaking the silence, "I can't leave until all of the students have left the room, so if you two wouldn't mind, I have a chocolate cake waiting for me in the teacher's lounge." 

Marinette looked at her smiling teacher, apparenly realizing that she had never left the room. Adrian's blush grew as he realized that a) Madame had just seen the entire Kim Ordealtm and b) he'd stared into Marinette's eyes for a solid _two minutes right in front of his teacher_.

"Y-y-y-yes! Sorry, Madame Tikki!" she squawked, leaping three meters away from Adrien in one bound. She darted towards her bag and left the room before Adrien could invite her to eat lunch with him and NIno.

"Sorry, Madame." Adrien apologized, one hand scartching the back of his head as he gathered his things. 

"It's no problem, Adrien. I noticed you dancing with Marinette today, you two make a great pair." and with that, the small woman left Adrien blushing and alone in the dance studio. 

***

As Adrien made his way to the Dining Room, he thought about what Madame Tikki said. 

' _you two make a great pair_ ' 

He had hatched a plan to finally win Marinette over as a friend. 

"Hey Dude!" Nino's voice rang down the hall.

"Hi, Nino." Adrien replied, still plotting.

"So, I hope you don't mind, but a friend of mine transferred here this year and neglected to tell me until now. I just saw her and I may or may not have invited her to sit with us at lunch." Nino explained.

"Yeah, it's not a problem. The more the merrier." Adrien said, lighting up at the prospect of having more than two people at their lunch table. 

When they arrived at their table it wasn't long until Nino was waving wildly at girl with glasses, beckoning her towards them. 

"Hi, Nino!" the girl said.

"Hey, this is my buddy Adrien. Adrien, this is Alya."

"So this is the famous Adrien." the girl said, with a raise of her brow. 

Adrien squirmed under her gaze.

"Play nice." Nino laughed.

"Alright," Alya sighed, "It's nice to meet you, Adrien, I've heard so much about you!" she extended her hand out for a shake. 

"Nice to meet you to." Adrien replied politely, taking her hand. 

"I hope you two don't mind, but I told my roommate she could sit with us today. She's new too and we gotta have each other's backs." Alya said.

"I don't have a problem with it, do you?" Nino asked Adrien.

"Nope." he replied.

"Perfect, cause here she comes. Over here, girl!" Alya called as she waved to Marinette, who had just entered the room. 

Adrien couldn't believe his luck. This was the perfect opportunity to set his plan in motion. He waited for Marinette to take a seat before greeting her with a friendly wave. She started, face turning red, before looking down at the food in front of her. 

"Hi, I'm Nino." Nino introduced, "I'm that friend that Alya is _obviously_ always talking about."

"I'm Marinette." she responded, looking up from her plate as she shook Nino's hand. She seemed to be avoiding Adrien's gaze. 

"So Alya tells me that you're in the ballet program too." Nino started.

"Yeah, I'm still a little surprised that I got in." she said with a shy smile. 

"You shouldn't be. I've seen her dance, Nino. I'm surprised she wasn't here last year." Adrien complimented.

"Th-thanks." she mumbled, retreating again.

It seemed that she was willing to speak to everyone at the table except for him. The whole lunch period continued like that, with Marinette conversing comfortably with Nino and Alya, but clamming up whenever Adrien tried to chime in. He couldn't tell if he'd done something wrong or not, but with every passing minute he felt more and more like he did. 

The bell rang for the students to start getting back to their respective classes. Alya and Nino waved goodbye to Adrien and Marinette as the latter made their way back to the locker room to change for their afternoon classes.

As they walked, Adrien glanced at Marinette from the corner of his eye. She was still in her leotard from their morning class, having opted to change for her academic classes after lunch. She was shorter than he was by a few good inches and had a perfect dancer's body: slim but muscular. He hair was in the signature ballerina bun and she seemed to be growing more red the longer he looked at her. 

"So, Marinette," Adrien said, pulling his gaze from her before he got caught staring again, "are you hoping for any particular part in Sleeping Beauty?"

"Not really, I'm new here and I'd just be happy to be in it at all." she said softly, "b-b-but I'll totally support you!! Cause you're good. Not that You need my support. You're pretty. I MEAN PRETTY GREAT! AT DANCING! YOU'RE GREAT AT DANCING!"

Adrien gave her a worried look before continuing. 

"I think you have a real chance at getting a huge part. Maybe even the lead." Adrien said. 

Marinette responded by stopping so fast in her tracks that she skidded before falling onto her backside. Before Adrien could help her up, however, she scrambled to her feet again and stared at Adrien open mouthed, face even redder than before, something that Adrien hadn't thought possible. 

"Y-y-y-you really think so?" Marinette asked, voice small.

"Of course. I can help you practice for the auditions too, if you want." Adrien offered, setting his plan into motion.

She didn't respond for a moment. Adrien started to worry he might have broken her. 

"WE SHOULD PROBABLY GET READY FOR CLASS!" Marinette exclaimed as they approached the change rooms. She bolted into the girl's room with such an amazing speed that Adrien thought that his mind put everything in fast-forward. 

Adrien was left without an answer to his offer, but his plan wasn't exactly a failure; she hadn't said no. 

***

**Marinette**

It was finally Friday. Marinette couldn't help but smile all day. After the events of yesterday; Adrien offering to help her with her dancing, her hasty retreat, her eventual agreement after Adrien cornered her before physics. They had yet to schedule a practice time, but she was already nervous about being in a room alone with Adrien again after the disastrous walk after lunch. But with Fridays, came her preferred method of relaxation. 

She also was intrigued by this new dancer at Club Kwami. _Chat Noir._  He'd been flirty and charismatic the whole night and Marinette couldn't help but hope that he'd show his painted face again. 

She rushed to her room after her last class to prepare for her night out. After watching a few videos of Ladybug dancing at the club, she and Alya prepared to sneak out. They changed into their Kwami outifts and painted their masks on each other. When they deemed it safe to leave their room without getting caught, they slipped out and headed for the old record store. 

They arrived just as DJBubbler was laying down his first track of the night. The Club was filling up, but wasn't quite in full swing yet. Ladybug and Ladywifi wove their way through the thin crowd before coming up to the the DJ Booth. 

"Hey, Bubbler. How are you doing?" Wifi asked.

"Doin fine," he responed, "and may I say, you ladies are looking extra fine tonight."

"Oh, you know I try." Wifi said with a pose. Ladybug looked between the two with a looktm before looking around the club for a reason to give the two some privacy. 

"Hey, Bubbler, is your friend from last week here tonight?" Ladybug asked.

"Chat Noir? Yeah, he's over by the artist's booth. Dude doesn't even have his own paint yet." he responded. 

"Thanks, man. I'll see you out there, Ladywifi." she said before making her way towards Evillustrator's work space. 

By the time she found Chat Noir, the Club was packed and the music was pulsating through every cell in her body. She itched to get on the dance floor, but she'd made it this far and she had to ask Chat a question. 

"Hello, my lady." Chat greeted with an impish grin.

"Hey, Kitty." she responded, 

"What can I do for you on this fine evening?' he said, dramatically gesturing to the area around them. Ladybug fought the urge to roll her eyes.

"Listen, Kitty, I wanna see something. You wanna dance with me tonight?" she asked.

"What?" he stared at her dumbly, all traces of the suave cat he was trying to be gone. 

"Dance with me. I wanna see something." she repeated. 

"Uh... okay! Whatever my lady needs!" he nodded enthusiastically. 

Ladybug lead him back to the DJ booth as the music beckoned for her to join the the bodies moving on the floor. ' _Not yet_ ' 

"Bubbler, Can you play that song I gave to you last week?" Ladybug asked as she approached, interrupting whatever he was doing to impress Ladywifi. 

"Sure, are you going on again?" he asked, pulling a flashdrive from a box under the turntable. 

"Yep, but I got a bit of a surprise tonight." she replied. 

As she made her way to the middle of the dance floor, she heard Bubbler announce her arrival, like he did every time she put on a show. 

"Alright, Dudes! It is my pleasure to bring to again this week, Ladybug!!" he enthused. 

When the cheers and whoops had died down, Bubbler played the track. Ladybug positioned Chat Noir in front of her.

"Just follow my lead and do whatever feels natural" she whispered into his ear as the music swelled around them. He nodded his response. 

She started off by moving slowly around the circle that the crowd had formed around them, walking as if she were in slow motion. Then, when the music picked up, she let go. Just as she'd done every Friday night for the past year, she let her whole heart out on the dance floor and looked to Chat to do the same thing. He seemed to have picked up on what she wanted because soon, the two of them were moving in tandem. The crowd absolutely loved it. They cheered whenever the duo would make any sort of contact and hollered whenever Ladybug would do one of her signature moves or Chat impressed them by introducing a few of his own. Near the end of the song, Ladybug and Chat Noir ended up face to face, impossibly close as they circled each other as if they were going to fight. As the song came to an end, Ladybug dropped to strike a pose and Chat caught her just in time to have her dangling with one arm around his beck as the rest of her body was supported by his. The room stood silent as the pair panted in their tableau. 

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Ladybug and Chat Noir!" Bubbler yelled into his mic.

 The crowd roared as the two righted themselves. When the crowd thickened around them once again and bodies began gyrating around them, Ladybug led Chat to one of the tables by the bar.

"So, What'd you think?" Ladybug asked as the grabbed waters from the counter.

"That was absolutely amazing! You're absolutely amazing! I can't even describe it!" Chat Noir exclaimed, looking more like an excited puppy than a cat.

"I'm glad you liked it. How would you like to do that with me every week?" she asked.

"My Lady, you can't be serious." 

"I'm serious! Next week the club is sponsoring a freestyle dance contest. I would've done it last year, but it's pairs only. I noticed you dancing last week and I'd like you to be my partner." she explained. 

"Somebody pinch me because I must be dreaming." Chat sighed.

Ladybug laughed. 

"So, are you in?" she asked.

"Is that even a question. After what we did on that dance floor, of course I'm in! Pound it!" he said, putting his fist forward. 

Ladybug tapped it with her own.

"Okay, Chat Noir. I guess we're partners now." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo Boy, we're getting a plot now. Thanks so much for reading! I hope the chapters continue to get longer, cause I tend to make them p short. Keep an Eye out for Chapter 3 where things are gonna get super fluffy and cute as heck!


	3. Operation: Auditions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien are nervous about their audition, but they both have something going for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAHHHH!! I'm very late in posting but I recently had a metric fuckton of shit added to my workload. It's all simmered down now though so I think I can back on schedule. I'm really happy with how this turned out so I hope you enjoy! ^-^

**Marinette**

The entire week after the announcement was full of stress. Nearly every student in the academy, not just the dancers, were in various states of excitement.

The dancers were all anxiously running through the choreography taught to them for the audition, the visual art students were comparing possible set designs, the musicians were always either practicing their music, or making amusing sounds with their instruments, and Marinette was caught in the middle of all of it. She couldn’t decide if she was more excited about the possibility of working with so many talented students or if she was terrified of it all.

“Hey, Marinette! I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” Marinette heard a cheerful voice from behind her and was immediately petrified. Slowly she turned around and was met with eyes that had _no_ business being that green. 

“Hey Adrien! W-w-w-what were you looking for me for?” she asked, trying to contort her features into a comfortable smile. It’d been a week since she’d agreed to practice for the audition with Adrien, but even after two private rehearsals, she still wasn’t accustomed to having such a kind, talented, beautiful, and all around perfect boy so close to her.

“Come on! The auditions are the day after tomorrow and I will not rest until you are the prima ballerina.” He said excitedly.

With a slight skip in his step, he pulled Marinette off to one of the smaller practice studios. They ran through the prepared dance over and over again, each time better than the last. When they’d first started a week ago, Marinette was absolutely mortified of being that close to Adrien, but she had since calmed down enough to remove herself from the corner she’d called home for an awkward four hours of their first rehearsal.

“Wow, Marinette! You’re doing really well! Are you sure there’s nothing _you_ can teach _me_?” Arien encouraged.

Marinette blushed but was unable to come up with a response. Instead she just shook her head and continued dancing. Adrien was an excellent teacher and extremely kind, kinder than Marinette felt she deserved, seeing as how she’d stepped on his feet three times during the first hour. It wasn’t that she was a bad dancer, but being that close to Adrien made Marinette stiff and clumsier than she already was. Adrien didn’t seem to notice, however, he just smiled through the pain and helped her improve.

“Okay, I think that’s enough for today!” Adrien said, “You’re really good. I wouldn’t be surprised if you beat _me_ out for the role!” he joked. 

Marinette offered only a shy smile.

Adrien stood there, silently, looking at her; probably wondering why he’d even bothered trying to help this dancing mime.

“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow in class!” he said cheerfully, before grabbing his bag and strolling out the door.

Not even two minutes had passed before Alya came barreling into the studio.

“So, how’d it go today?” she asked eagerly.

“I stepped on his toes again and I barely said a word.” Marinette said, holding her head in her hands.

Alya stepped forward and wrapped Marinette in a tight, yet comforting hug.

“It’s okay, girl. At least you didn’t fall on him again.” She soothed.

Marinette groaned in response.

“Why am I so nervous around him? I can talk to you and Nino and stand up to Kim, I’m not usually this shy! But when I’m around him, I just… can’t function!” Marinette threw her arms up in the air exasperatedly.

“Well, hopefully you get over that soon, because if you get the part, you’ll be real close to him for a few weeks.” Alya warned.

“I know! That’s if I even survive the auditions.”

***

**Adrien**

After three private rehearsals, Adrien was sure that there was something wrong with him. Marinette no longer panicked at the sight of him, but now she couldn’t even hold a conversation with him! He was at a loss for what to do. If things progressed this way, he’d never have more than one friend. Not that there’s anything wrong with Nino, but the thought of having a lot of friends, like Marinette did, was far too appealing to ignore.

When Adrien arrived at his dorm room he collapsed onto his bed with an exaggerated sigh.

“Dude, what’s up?” Nino asked, rolling his eye at his roommate’s dramatics.

“I don’t think Marinette likes me. I feel kind of bad for making her practice with me now.” Adrien said into his pillow.

Nino, now accustomed to his friend’s bouts of melodrama, understood it all and shook his head.

“Bro, I don’t think I’ve ever met someone as oblivious as you.” Nino commented.

Adrien sat up and looked at Nino with his head cocked to one side.

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing dude. If you don’t already know, I can’t tell you.” Nino sighed.

Adrien groaned and slammed his face back into his pillow.

***

The next day everyone in class was buzzing with nerves. The auditions were the next day and Adrien could practically taste the anxiety. He searched the room and finally found a familiar head of black hair looking down as she prepared her pointe shoes for the last class period before auditions. Adrien made his way to her but before he could make it, Madame Tikki clapped her hands together, commanding the attention of the whole class.

“Alright, I’m sure you are all very excited about the auditions tomorrow, today will be the last chance you have to ask me any questions you may have about the choreography and receive any of my help.” She said, “Today will be dedicated to rehearsing for the audition and perfecting your technique.”

After hearing that, the class immediately started chattering about the show again. A few students approached Madame, many formed groups and practiced together, and Adrien noticed, Marinette was alone, staring at him. He offered a small smile and a wave to her and she jumped, obviously ashamed at being caught. He made his way over to her, watching as her eyes grew wide and darted around looking for an exit. By the time he’d reached her, she was so wound up that he was afraid she would explode if he touched her.

“Hi, Adrien.” She greeted as he approached. Adrien smiled, she was finally speaking to him!

“Hi, Marinette!” he beamed at her. She seemed to freeze for a moment before regaining her senses.

“A-a-a-are you nervous about tomorrow?” she asked, struggling to keep eye contact, “N-n-not that you need to be nervous! You’re great gonna be!” she stuttered.

“Thanks.” Adrien responded, smiling at what he assumed was a compliment.

“Do, do you wanna practice some more?” she asked quietly, her face red from embarrassment at her previous lack of decorum.

“Sure.” Adrien said, smiling to himself as she stood up and got into position for the dance.

Adrien wasn’t sure exactly what happened between their last rehearsal and now, but Marinette was performing perfectly. She no longer stepped on his feet, bumped into him, lost her balance, and she didn’t seem at all as stiff as she had the day before. When they’d gone through the routine, Adrien looked at Marinette in shock.

“I practiced a bit more last night.” Marinette said in response to his reaction.

“It worked! That was perfect.” Adrien enthused.

Marinette smiled shyly and he watched as her face turned to a shade of pink that matched her leotard.

Suddenly the whole class erupted into applause. Apparently, without out either of them knowing, the pair had been watched and the class was more than impressed.

“Wow, Marinette you did great!” Rose exclaimed.

“I’m surprised someone is as good as Agreste!” Alix joked.

Marinette beamed at the compliments and joined the crowd to talk about the show and how she doubted she would dance the lead.

Adrien watched her as she spoke to their classmates, enthusiastically assuring everyone that they were just as talented as she was, if not better (which Adrien seriously doubted.)

He felt a pair of eyes on him as he stared. He turned around to find Madame Tikki smiling at him.

“She truly is a unique talent, isn’t she?” Madame said.

“Uh… yeah. She’s a really good dancer.” Adrien replied.

“That she is. I was on the panel of judges during her audition for the Academy. She seemed to have a certain something about her, I couldn’t put a name to it…” Madame Tikki started.

“Life.” Adrien interjected without thinking.

“Life?” Madame asked. Adrien worried that he’d said too much or he’d been out of line. “You’re exactly right. She is full of life and it shows in her dancing.”

A group of students approached Madame Tikki before Adrien could say anything else, and she was whisked off to observe and offer advice. Adrien was left alone in the corner of the room, watching the other students chatter about how good he and Marinette looked together.

Life. Adrien had compared Marinette’s dancing to life. That’s how good of a dancer she was, because the only other person Adrien knew of whose dancing evoked such an emotion was Ladybug.

***

**Marinette**

It was the day of the auditions. The cafeteria was abuzz with nervous conversation. It was easy to tell which students were in the ballet division because they were the ones with full plates of food in front of them while the meals beside them quickly shrank in size. Marinette was no exception. As she sat with Alya, Nino, and Adrien at breakfast, something that had become routine for the small group of friends, she fiddled with her hands, pushed her food around her plate, and basically avoided all eye contact with anyone.

“Alright, Nino, are you as sick of this as I am?” Alya finally said, exasperatedly throwing her hands on the table.

“Yes. Dudes, you have got to eat something. Both of you.” Nino replied.

Marinette looked up and, to her surprise, Adrien seemed just as nervous as every other ballet student in the room. He was probably the most talented dancer at the academy, she saw no reason for him to be anxious at all. He looked up at Nino, as though surprised that anyone would be concerned with whether or not he was eating. Marinette shot him a sympathetic look before a spoonful of oatmeal was unceremoniously shoved into her mouth.

“Mmpph!” Marinette exclaimed, shooting Alya a dirty look.

“I’m sorry girl, but I can’t have you passing out in front of the directors today. I know how much this performance means to you and I’m not letting you ruin it for yourself.” Alya said, “And that goes double for you, Mr. Model! Don’t think I don’t know what kind of diets you’re put on! I will not have any of my friends going hungry!” She pointed a spoon triumphantly to the ceiling, eliciting a small round of applause from Nino.

“Alya, I really appreciate it, but I don’t think I could eat a single bite.” Adrien confessed, scratching at the back of his head.

Marinette swallowed and responded.

“Yeah, I feel like if I ate anymore, I’d throw up.” She said.

“Okay, think of it this way: what if you’re in the middle of your audition, everything is going great, until the music decrescendos and then you hear it. The loud ass grumble of your empty stomach. The directors can no longer focus on your dancing or the music because your stomach is making the rumblies and it's too distracting.” Alya responded.

Marinette and Adrien exchanged a look before immediately gorging themselves on their breakfasts while Nino burst into a fit of giggles.

***

Outside the audition room, Marinette paced back and forth, trying to remember everything she went over with Adrien during their practices, everything Madame Tikki told her, and to breathe. There were only a few dancers left waiting in the hall, herself and Adrien included. Marinette tried not to focus too much in the fact that Adrien was watching her pace, most likely worried that she would trip and hurt herself, instead opting to look down at her feet as she pressed her hands together in prayer.

Dancer after dancer was called into the room, the order was random so there was no telling who would go next, and they were all exited through the other door in the room that led to the hall on the other side, keeping those who had completed their audition from speaking to those who hadn’t. Eventually, Marinette was the only dancer left in the hall. She paced.

“Miss Dupain-Cheng?” she heard a voice call behind her. For a moment her legs wouldn’t obey her commands. She took a deep breath and managed to take the few steps into the dance studio, where a table had been set up opposite the mirrors.

“Alright, Marinette,” Madame Tikki started, “I trust you are all warmed up and ready to go. So, we'll just begin.”

The music started, and before Marinette could even call the steps to her mind, her body was moving more gracefully than what should be possible for someone as clumsy as Marinette. Her mind went completely blank as she performed. Everything she did felt right. Everything she did had a purpose as she moved into the next sequence. By the time the music ended, Marinette was no longer even aware that she was in the middle of an audition. When the final note ended, and the stereo no longer made sound, Marinette snapped back to reality. She stared at the judges like a deer caught in headlights for a few microseconds before she made any movement.

“Thank you.” She said, before scurrying towards the exit.

***

**Adrien**

Adrien checked the list again.

There. Next to Desiré was his name.

Adrien Agreste.

He breathed a huge sigh of relief. He’d thought that his audition was abysmal, to say the least. He supposed, however, that his stiff dancing had technically been correct.

Snapping out of his hyper-analysis, Adrien looked down at the next line of text, at Aurora’s name. Next to it was a name that did not even surprise Adrien.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

He glanced at a few of the other rolls before strolling to the cafeteria. Madame Tikki had told the class that the list would be posted that day, but Adrien appeared to be the only one desperate enough to wake up before the cafeteria opened to check it.

As he approached the table He spotted Marinette talking to Alya at their usual table. When he sat down Marinette got noticeably shyer, but she did not stop speaking all together like she used to. This warmed Adrien’s heart.

“Hey, Mari. Have you seen the cast list?” he asked.

Marinette only looked at him before glancing at Alya. The other girl nodded, as if urging her to speak.

“No, I was too scared.” She said quietly.

“Why? You’re dancing the part of Aurora!” Adrien responded excitedly.

Marinette blinked.

“You go, girl! I knew you could do it!” Alya hugged Marinette, but she seemed catatonic.

“What happened to the bunhead?” Nino asked as he arrived with a plateful of precariously stacked pancakes.

“She got the part! The principal role!” Alya bounced as she explained.

“All right!” Nino said, holding his fist out for a fistbump.

 Marinette sat there blinking.

“Um… Marinette?” Adrien waved his hand in front of her face.

 “I...” she mumbled.

“Dude, is she okay?” Nino asked.

“I got it?” Marinette whispered.

“Yeah, girl! You got it!” Alya encouraged.

Marinette suddenly jumped up from her seat and ran for the door. The three remaining friend looked at each other before chasing after her.

When they caught up to her, she was pushing her way through the massive group of students surrounding the bulletin board. Adrien managed to get through to her as she looked at the list for herself. She looked at the list for a moment before jumping up and cheering.

“I got it!” she yelled as she bounced up and down and turned to hug Adrien around his waist. Adrien wrapped his arms around her automatically and jumped up and down with her. It took them both a moment to realize just how close they were. When they did, they immediately leaped apart and looked down.

“Congrats, Mari.” Adrien said, feeling his face get hot.

“Th-th-thanks.” Marinette replied, face turning red.

Adrien walked off to find Nino and Alya smirking at him.

“She was just really happy.” Adrien said defensively

***

**Marinette**

“Alright, kids. Take five while we track down the stereo remote.” Madame Tikki announced with a clap of her hands.

Marinette took this opportunity to rest on one of benches backstage. She watched as the students scrambled around looking for places to rest their feet. She took a swig from her water bottle. Rehearsals for the show had started the day after the list was posted. They were taught the choreography for the opening sequence and they were going to put it to music, if Madame Tikki could remember what she did with the remote.

“Hey, you’re Marinette, right?” said a redheaded boy as he walked up to her. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he spoke, tugging at strands of his hair.

“Yep.” She said, patting the bench beside her. He took a seat.

The boy had long, tomato-red hair that he kept tied back in a short ponytail. His clothes were completely splattered with paint and he carried a few brushes in the breast pocket of his shirt. Marinette, as a designer, could appreciate his aesthetic and understood the struggle of wearing his work.

“I saw you rehearsing earlier,” he said after a brief moment. “You’re a really good dancer.”

“Thanks.” Marinette smiled at the boy.

“My name’s Nathaniel.” He said, extending his hand for a shake.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Marinette said with a giggle at his formality. “Are you helping design the set for the show?”

“Yeah, we’re kind of just getting a feel for the size of the stage right now.” He explained, fiddling with a pencil.

The two sat in silence for another moment before Nathaniel finally spoke up.

“I know who you are.” He blurted.

Marinette stared at him.

“Excuse me?”

“I was coming home on Friday night and I saw you and your roommate sneaking back into the girl’s dorms.” He explained.

Last Friday, Marinette and Alya hadn’t bothered to change after going to Club Kwami.

“So you know who Ladybug and LadyWifi are?” Marinette asked.

“Yes.” He squeaked. “I only brought it up because if I figured it out, then that means someone else could too, like Chloe.”

“Who’s Chloe?”

“Just be glad you don’t know yet.” He said. Marinette decided to leave that alone for now.

“Okay, so that means you go to Club Kwami too?” Marinette wondered aloud.

“Yes. I think you’ve seen some of my work. The paints I use are a little hard to clean off of walls and it usually takes a while for the administration to paint over it.” Nathaniel explained.

“You’re Evillustrator?” Marinette whispered. She was shocked that such a shy boy was the same purple-masked, rebellious artist that she’d known for the past two years. She and Evillustrator were good friend during Club hours, but as soon as the masks came off, Marinette had no way of contacting him.

“Yes.” Nathaniel replied, hand nervously batting at his ponytail, setting more strands loose.

“Are you going to tell anyone?” Marinette asked.

“Of course not! LB, you and I go way back, since before Academy students even knew that place existed, I just wanted to let you know.” He said, wiping his hands on his jeans.

“Well, thank you. I’ll be more careful from now on.” She said.

“Good." he paused, "Can you possibly meet me back here tonight? In the Ladybug outfit? I have a friend that’s been meaning to ask you something.”

“Is it safe?”

“As long as you cut through the custodial hall behind the stage, it should be fine. Security hardly ever checks back there since it doesn't lead anywhere outside.”

“Alright, but only because I know I can trust you.” Marinette conceded. “Who’s this friend anyway?”

“Chat Noir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Adrien just wants Mri to be his friend! and Mari! is so talented! and she doesn't know it! I'm just reall passionat about this guys. Also, Alya and Nino are my fave supportive friends ever. Also (the sequel) Nath made his first Appearance as himself! I'm gonna try to get back on my Sunday night schedule but school may make it difficult. I hope you enjoyed! Keep an eye out for Chapter 4!  
> Cry with me: literalsunshin.tumblr.com


	4. Operation: Planning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat finally plan their first rehearsal and Mari and Adrien start theirs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! I'm a filthy liar! :D I said I would have this up on sunday but I wrote myself into a corner. Anyway, have this beautiful semi-filler chapter! I hope you enjoy!

**Marinette**

It was dark as Ladybug made her way down the service hall. Luckily, she’d made it this far without being caught, and all she had to do at this point was open the door on the other end of the hall and wait. She wiped her sweaty palms on her pants, ignoring the rapid beating of her heart. She didn’t know why she was so nervous. She was Ladybug after all; she was a fearless dancing machine. She could handle a little meeting with another dancer; especially one that she should’ve had a while ago.

When she finally found herself backstage, Ladybug nearly leapt out of her skin at the sight of blue eyes with purple smeared around them and hair red enough to put a tomato to shame. He was illuminated by a single light, a light that the theatre department insisted the custodial staff keep on in order to keep the ghosts happy. It did very little for the whole stage, but in the small area that they occupied, it did the job right.

“Evillustrator! You nearly gave me a heart attack!” she whisper-shouted.

“Sorry, I was just going to check if you were nearly here. Chat’s waiting for you backstage left.” He said.

“Alright, could you tell me why he wanted to meet?” Ladybug asked.

“Something about the dance contests. Said he’d been waiting to hear from you, but he didn’t have your number.” Nath explained.

“I can see how that’d be a problem.” Marinette admitted, rubbing the back of her neck nervously.  
“I’ll catch you two in a minute.”  He said before slinking off to do whatever graffiti artists do.

“Evening, my lady.” Ladybug turned around to find the cat that had caught her attention three weeks ago.

“Hey, Kitty. Why all the secrecy?” Ladybug asked, placing a hand on her hip.

“Well, you said you wanted to be partners and I have yet to hear from you about any rehearsals.” Chat explained.

“Rehearsals? Chat, this is a freestyle dance contest.”

“I know that, but don’t you think that we should still practice? So we’re not caught off guard? I know you’re extremely talented, bugaboo, but we’re still new to each other. We have to get used to dancing together.” Chat explained, more serious than Ladybug was used to.

Marinette stood staring at the boy. She’d taken him for a total goofball, but it looked like there was more to her new partner than she’d previously thought. Although it pained Ladybug to admit it, he was right. They would never advance past the prelims without practice.

“Alright, Kitty Cat. I see your point. Meet me at the club Thursday night. I know for a fact that Plagg lets us use the place as a dance space on off nights.” Ladybug suggested.

“That’s is a paw-sitively brilliant idea.” Chat said, with a relieved sigh. Ladybug wondered if he had been nervous.

“So, you’re an academy student?” Ladybug ventured.

“Yes, and you?” he replied.

“For all you know, I could have broken in here.” Ladybug said.

“I don’t think you’re a rule breaker.”

“You don’t know what I’m like under the paint. I could be a criminal.”

“And I’d love you anyway.” He joked.

There was a pause as the two dancers regarded each other.

“We’re not on club property.” Chat tried.

“I don’t think you’re ready to know who I am. We gotta keep a secret for now, kitten.” Ladybug said.

“Did everything get sorted out?” Evillustrator said as he stepped back into the ghost light. Just as he was approaching them, however, his foot caught the corner of a box and he fell forward in a very Marinette manner. The tub of paint that he was holding soared through the air before landing right on Chat’s blond head. The cat stood there in shock as Marinette and Nathaniel resisted the urge to laugh. Another moment passed before Chat reached up remove the tub from his hair. Without missing another beat, he flung it at Nath. The redhead ducked automatically, which cause the paint to fly right at Ladybug’s face. She managed to avoid a facial, but couldn’t save her crop top.

“Chat!” Ladybug exclaimed.

Before she knew it, the three of them were scrambling for cover, with blobs of lavender paint being lobbed across the stage. They continued their attack for a few minutes before freezing at the sound of footsteps in the hall. They listened until the footsteps were past the backstage door. As soon as they were in the clear, they looked around at the mess they had created.

“Don’t worry,” Evillustrator started, “This paint is washable for once. We’re just lucky I wasn’t tagging the school with the permanent stuff this time.”

The trio proceeded to seek out the custodian’s cleaning supplies and spent a considerable amount of time cleaning up the aftermath of their fun. When they were done they all parted ways and headed back to their respective dorm rooms.

Marinette walked into her dorm to find that Alya was awake and giving her a curious look.

“What happened to you?” she asked.

“Oh, nothing. Just a little bit of a fight with Evillustrator and Char Noir.” Marinette said with a smile, walking towards the bathroom. As she started to hose herself down with the showerhead, Alya entered and sat down on the toilet, content to converse through the shower curtain.

“Chat Noir, you say…” Alya started.

“I don’t know what you mean by that tone, but Chat is just my friend. We’re just dance partners.” Marinette said.

“Is that why you always flirt with him in the club? Or why you watched him dance for literally thirty minutes the first time we saw him?” Alya accused, poking the shower curtain over and over to get her point across.

“It’s just banter, first of all. Second of all, you know my heart belongs to Adrien.” Marinette defended, shutting the water off and letting the pale purple swirl down the drain for a moment before peeking out. “I could never betray him like that.”

“Oh, my sweet, sweet, Marinette. You are too pure for this life.” Alya said with a boop to her friend’s nose.

“I just like Chat Noir as a friend, and now that I can actually talk to Adrien I have a chance.” Marinette said, a dreamy look in her eye that made Alya roll hers.

“I have noticed that you and Adrien have gotten chummier.” She commented.

“I guess being in the show with him and seeing him be himself made me less nervous. He’s so much more than I thought he was.” Marinette started, shooing Alya from the bathroom so that she could leave the shower. Alya sighed as Marinette continued on her tangent of Adri-love. “He’s funny, and so smart and he’s a bit of a dork. I thought he was this perfect, ethereal dream boy that I could never get, but he’s just a person. A gorgeous, talented, amazing person that I get to talk to everyday. Before, he was just a dream, but now he’s my friend. Even if we never get to be more than that, I’m happy just to be able to share this friendship with him.”

“I take back ever even suggesting that you and Chat Noir could be anything more. Obviously you feel some type of way about Agreste. I’ll help you in any way I can.” Alya said loyally.

“Thanks, Alya, but I think that at this point, only time will tell.” Marinette sighed, now dressed in her pajamas, clutching her towel to her heart.

***

The next day in class, Marinette stood off by herself as the rest of the class got into their usual pairs. Her usual dance partner was nowhere to be found. Just as she was about to start working on her own, Adrien burst into the room. His usually perfect hair was all over the place, his shirt was riddled with wrinkles, and his bag was open with papers spilling out into the hallway behind him.

“I’m so sorry I’m late!” he started babbling. “My roommate is a jerk and he turned my alarm off as a prank and then the shower head fell off and then the lightbulb in my bathroom went out and I tripped down the stairs on the way here and I’m usually never this late and I’m so sorry, Madame!”

Marinette’s heart went out to the flustered boy. She herself had fallen victim to many a bad morning and she knew how it felt. Madame Tikki gave Adrien a sympathetic nod before gesturing for him to join his class mates. Adrien rushed to the back of the room to join Marinette with his head down.

“Are you okay, Adrien?” Marinette asked, too concerned for any nerves at all to inhibit her speech.

“I’m fine. I usually have bad luck but I think it just all attacked me at once today.” He said as he slipped his dance shoes on.

“I find it very hard to believe that you of all people have bad luck.” Marinette said, joining Adrien on the floor as he stretched.

“I fake good luck very well.” Adrien admitted.

Marinette looked at Adrien as he silently continued stretching. Marinette was just about to offer words of encouragement before Madame Tikki called the attention of the class to line up to run through the routine they had learned. Adrien lined up with the boys as Marinette lined up with the girls and she missed her chance to comfort him.

***

**Adrien**

Adrien was suffering through the worst morning he had had since he left the mansion, he felt that he could use a day of relaxation. But, alas, the world was not so kind. He had three hours of rehearsal for the fall show and his first practice with Ladybug. He wouldn’t give that up for the longest nap in French history.

“Adrien, are you okay?” Marinette asked, snapping Adrien back to the present.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Adrien said, plastering the smile he used for shoots onto his face.

“It looks like you got a bit of a bruise or something when you fell this morning.” She said, reaching for a spot on his neck. “Is, is that paint?”

Adrien stiffened and quickly reached for the spot. He covered it with his hand and scrambled for an excuse as to why he would have paint on his neck at seven in the morning.

“Oh, um… that was from last night… I was… um… taking a shortcut through the stage and I got some paint on myself when I ran into one of the set pieces.” He scrambled for answers as he furiously scrubbed the spot on his neck.

“Oh.” Marinette gave him a curious look before continuing to change her shoes. Adrien stared at her as she put things in her bag, noticing how her silence was now almost rare. Granted, she did still stutter occasionally around him, but he could tell that she had gotten more comfortable with his company. She no longer ignored him at lunch, she no longer stiffened when he danced with her; she no longer seemed to hate him.

“Ready to go to lunch?” Marinette asked, hiking her bag up on her shoulder.

“Yeah.”

***

“Dude, I swear I did not screw with your alarm clock. Why would I do that to you? I know how meticulous your morning routine is.” Nino argued.

“Well, if you didn’t do it, who did?” Adrien asked, shoving the last bite of his pizza into his mouth.

The group was at their usual lunch table and Adrien had just recounted the details of his morning. The two boys stared at each other as Adrien slowly chewed his food.

“I dunno, dude. Maybe you forgot to set your alarm after you got home last night, you were out pretty late. I’m surprised that security didn’t catch you.” Nino responded.

“Wait a minute, Adrien Agreste, crowned prince of the Academy, out past curfew? I am shocked.” Alya deadpanned.

“Y-y-you know, that actually makes a lot of sense.” Adrien admitted as his face turned red. “I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s cool, man. But what were you doing out so late last night anyway?”

“Oh, just meeting a friend.” Adrien said, taking a sip of his water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adrien has got to be more careful, no? There will be more plot next chapter so have no fear! I'll try my hardest to get it out asap. ^-^
> 
> Talk to me: literalsunshin.tumblr.com


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